Gill Declares Choice Plan Is Confusing

Freshmen have been confused by a information on the new House selection system, Richard T. Gill '48, of Leverett House, said in an interview this week.

Since the Committee has left the definition "substantial reasons" for preferring a House "completely undetermined" Gill said, students do not know express their wishes, or whether they are allowed to make a choice

Under an extremely strict interpretation "substantial," Gill said, only reasons might be accepted for being a particular House. But beyond most limited definition he reasons such as the House turn off or friends in the House would qualify as substantial.

"It seems to me a fact that the only way a student can influence his chance with a House is a letter." Gill declared. But he noted that freshmen were not sure how the Committee would react to letters of preference.

Gill said he would like to have the Committee make sure that no House was radically undersubscribed. "From then continued, "I think the maximum should be given to Master and student choice."

"Ideally, you try a new system and it's made very, very clear to the people involved," Gill said. "But there's been very little information given to the students."

"I think there was an intent to muffle the choice process," he added. "But it's hard to muffle it without giving it up." Gill said that it was his impression that the system had been modified in weeks to pay more attention to students' requests for particular Houses and the Masters' requests for particular students. But he noted that "how substantial substantial has to be" would still clearly affect the degree of choice allowed to freshmen and Masters.